Presidential Misconduct
by Avirra
Summary: A trio of men in unlikely masks are stalking the streets of the Precinct and assaulting lone women in the days leading to Halloween. When the attacks turn deadly, will the team manage to stop the attacks or find themselves as targets?
1. Chapter 1

**Presidential Misconduct**

_"I can take it. The tougher it gets, the cooler I get."_ ~Richard Nixon

"Aw man, we're on Halloween night again. That sucks. I hate dealing with the Halloween wackos."

At Fin's not-quite whine, Munch tilted his head a bit and gave a glance to his calendar.

"Next Wednesday night. Could be worse."

"No, it couldn't. Just means shit'll start on Friday night and keep up through Wednesday."

"That's the reason I love you, Fin. You are an endless bubbling fountain of optimism."

Passing by, Olivia couldn't resist a snark.

"Next to you, Munch? All of us are fountains of optimism."

"Et tu, Liv?"

Cragen walked up and caught only the last comment.

"You guys can eat later. We have a case."

Why Fin and Olivia laughed while Munch smirked was beyond Cragen. On slight reflection, he decided that he didn't want to know and tossed down the folder.

"Second sexual assault in as many nights. Three guys teaming up together - all wearing masks."

Munch picked up the folder and flipped it open.

"Our perps are wearing masks of Nixon, Clinton and W? Talk about adding insult to injury."

"Any DNA evidence recovered?"

Munch shook his head.

"Nope. They all appear to have rubber pulled over both heads."

Fin just gave Munch a look before shifting his gaze back to Cragen.

"Do our two victims have anything in common?"

"Both women worked evening shifts and both had gotten off of work and were on their way home when the attack happened. One was a twenty year old cashier at a clothing store who had only been at her job for a week and the other one was a forty-one year old waitress whose been at her job for sixteen years. The attack scenes are about two blocks apart."

Leaning against Munch's desk, Olivia crossed her arms.

"That a large age gap between victims. Do they have anything in common?"

Munch looked up from the folder.

"Female is about as close as they seem to get except for working evenings and that two block radius. Our cashier is single, Catholic, Hispanic and taking college classes. Our waitress is divorced with a teenager, Methodist, white and works another job part-time."

The phone on Munch's desk started ringing and he passed the folder over to Olivia as he answered the phone.

"Sergeant Munch here. Yeah?"

Everyone went quiet as Munch grabbed a pad and pen, scribbling furiously. Then he dropped the pen onto his desk.

"Thanks. We'll have someone out there shortly."

Looking up to the others as he hung up the phone, Munch's expression was more grave than usual.

"Our trio of rapists appear to have graduated to murderers. We have a dead man, assaulted and left about a block from our second victim."

"Whoa, wait. A guy? How is this connected to our rape victims?"

Munch lifted a hand and extended his index finger.

"Two thing. First? Our male victim was a crossdresser and apparently looked more feminine than my second wife."

"And second?"

"That, my dear Fin, is the ultimate tie-in. He managed to grab hold of one of his attackers. More specifically, he has part of a Nixon mask clutched in his hand."

That last had Cragen start tossing out assignments.

"Fin, you and Munch go to the scene with our latest victim. Olivia, you and Amaro, go talk to our other two victims. These guys have crossed a line now - we need to catch them sooner rather than later."

Fin grabbed his jacket as Munch grabbed his hat.

"On our way, Captain."


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II**

_"Let's make sure that there is certainty during uncertain times. . ." _~George W. Bush

Doctor Warner was almost ready to move the body, so Fin and Munch got their own photos and looked over the scene quickly to avoid delaying her from getting back to autopsy. Fin knelt down next to the body.

"Anything you can tell us, Doc?"

"Beaten much like the other two victims were, but they didn't stop there. He was strangled. By his own garter belt, from the look of things. I'll won't be able to verify that as the COD until after the autopsy. Any thing else you guys need before we remove him?"

"Naw, we're good. Give us a call if you find anything."

"You've got it. Come on, let's get him back to the morgue."

Munch watched as they loaded the body and drove off, mulling over what they knew on the case so far.

"You know, Fin? I wouldn't think that you'd find all three of these masks for sale just any where. I mean, would most kids even know who the hell Nixon is anymore?"

"Maybe we have someone getting rid of old stock. Still, it might be a good follow. What are the odds that these guys have hung onto these masks all these years? Odds are, they bought them recently."

"Even more important, Fin my friend?"

Munch held up the bag holding the remains of the mask.

"They need a replacement now. And personally, I think if they bought all three masks at the same time, they might have been the type of customer to be memorable."

"We passed a shop advertising masks and other Halloween stuff. It's in the neighborhood, so I figure it's worth a look while we're here."

"Lead on, MacDuff."

Fin eyed Munch before shaking his head and starting to walk out of the alleyway.

"Didn't you tell me once that was a misquote?"

"Yes, I did - I have to admit, I'm impressed. To be honest, I didn't think you were listening to me."

Shrugging, a small smile formed on Fin's face.

"Half listening on the off-chance that you might end up saying something interesting. So, what is it?"

"What is what?"

"The actual line. If it's a misquote, there's gotta be a real quote, right?"

"The actual quote from Shakespeare is 'Lay on, MacDuff'. From MacBeth."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. And speaking of seriously - 'Gags, Games and Novelties'? Is that a name or an inventory list?"

"They don't give out points for originality, John. Come on. Let's see if we can get something here. If nothing else, the names of other shops that might carry this junk."

The window of the store was so full that seeing inside wasn't an option. What portions weren't full of of dusty merchandise were filthy.

"I doubt the inside of that window has seen water since they tested the sprinklers in there."

"Assuming they even have sprinklers, Fin. After you."

The bell over the entry door rang out in an almost half-hearted way that indicated to Munch that the sound was likely partially muffled under yet another layer of dirt. How this place managed to pass a fire code inspection was beyond him. Or how the owners managed to keep from being robbed blind since the layout was a maze. Not having much worth stealing was probably their main key to theft protection.

Fin made a wrong turn and cursed under his breath as he hit a deadend. Munch managed to find the right combination to get them to the register first, but there wasn't anyone in sight.

"Excuse me, anyone here?"

A man that looked like he'd had his last shower about the same time the windows had last seen water popped his head out from a backroom.

"Yeh? Whaddaya want?"

Flipping open his badge case, Munch tried to stay up wind of the man.

"Police. I'm Munch - this is my partner, Detective Tutuola. We have a few questions."

"Hey, I don't know where that kid got that stuff, but he didn't get it from me. We don't sell no porn here."

Fin just shot a glance over to Munch as he came up to the counter himself.

"Not the sort of questions we have for you. Your sign says you sell masks? Got any of past presidents?"

"Yeh, sure. Guy who owned this before me bought a lot of crap in bulk. He threw it all in when he sold me this pit."

A phone rang in the back room.

"You guys mind waiting here while I get that? I'm expecting a business call."

"Sure. Mind if we look around some?"

"Go ahead. Hey, I do discounts for cops and firefighters."

Munch maneuvered carefully around, looking over the tightly packed racks.

"Fake vomit - hand buzzers - whoopee cushions - fake dog poo. We're in a class joint here, Fin."

"When he comes back out, let's get a look at the masks. If he does carry all three types, odds are that our bad guys bought them here. Maybe we can even get him to alert us if anyone comes in specifically for the Nixon mask they need to replace."

The man came back out of his office.

"Sorry that took so long. Guy misread my invoice and was trying to send me a 100 cases instead of a 100 pieces. Like I got room here to store a 100 cases. So - you fellows were interested in masks?"

Fin moved over and leaned on the counter.

"Right. Three in particular. Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush."

"Yep. You know, those three have been my best sellers this month. Two guys came in and bought five of each one of those models."

The man now had Fin and Munch's full attention.

"Would you recognize either of those guys if you saw them again?"

"Sure. I've got a good memory for faces. Why? You need to talk to them or something? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I signed them up for my mailing list."

"Could you show that to us."

"Hey, no problem. I always cooperate with the authorities, but it's kind of tight back in my office. You both wouldn't fit."

"You're closest, Fin. Why don't you go with him and get the information? I'll give Cragen a call and let him know what we've found so far."

Fin just shrugged and headed behind the counter as Munch pulled out his cellphone. He hit the speed dial to the precinct, then frowned as the call didn't go through. Taking a closer look, he grumbled as he saw there weren't any bars showing for reception. Munch was just about to weave his way back outside to make the call when a large crash from the back drew his attention. The man came rushing back up to the counter.

"One of my stock shelves tipped over and your partner is pinned under the thing. I can't lift it by myself - hurry. I think his leg might be broke."

Stuffing his phone back into a pocket without a second thought, Munch followed the man to the back. Seeing Fin down on the floor, Munch dropped down to his kness by his partner's side to try and get an idea if they needed to call for an ambulance before wrestling the shelving unit off. He felt a tight grip on his arm and looked down to meet Fin's eyes.

"John - get out of here."

Exactly what Fin was trying to tell him came to Munch about the same time he felt the cold metal touch of a gun muzzle on the back of his neck as the man behind him spoke.

"No. I don't think anyone is going anywhere right now."


End file.
